of the House of Commons, many years deceased, had periodical attacks of this nature, particularly after his brain had been overwrought. I was informed by a particular friend of the gentleman to whom I refer, that he once saw him in a terrible paroxysm of fury after making an electioneering speech, being perfectly conscious that at these periods he was temporarily deranged. He was in the habit of dashing cold water over the head during the fit, and occasionally, when suffering from much physical exhaustion, he has been known, with great benefit, to drink at a draught a pint of port wine. The celebrated Spanish General Galvez was subject to attacks of this nature. A bottle of claret generally cured him, probably, as Dr. Rush remarks, by overcoming a weak, morbid cerebral action, and producing agreeable and healthy excitement of brain. Would not, adds Dr. Rush, a dose of laudanum have been the appropriate remedy? A young gentleman was thrown from his horse, and fell upon his head. For ten minutes after the accident he continued in a state of coma. Since his recovery he has been subject to furious fits of passionate excitement. These attacks are generally preceded by severe headaches. His mental faculties do not appear much, if at all impaired, but he continues to suffer from these morbidly painful ebullitions of temper. Prior to the injury, he exhibited the most extraordinary degree of self-control and equanimity of temper. Dr. Beddoes refers to the case of a lady, who, after her recovery from an attack of brain fever, became extremely irascible. This was the reverse of her natural disposition. She made herself so offensively disagreeable to all her family, that her husband, a most amiable and self-denying man, was compelled to separate himself from her, and abandon his once happy fireside.

A somewhat similar case I visited in consultation with

Dr. Webster. In this instance the lady was in the habit, during her paroxysms of passion, of seizing hold of her husband's hair, and tearing it out by the roots in large quantities. This poor fellow has often come to me in great distress, having a full assurance of his wife's insanity, beseeching me to protect him from her acts of insane violence. She was clearly disordered in her mind, but we could not detect, in our examination of her, evidence sufficiently conclusive to justify us in signing a medical certificate authorizing her being placed under control. We lamented that, owing to a defective state of the law, we could not grapple with the case. In this, as in nu

merous anomalous instances of disordered mind, it was felt that nothing could legally be done for the protection of the patient, and the disease must be allowed to take its

course.

I have referred to a certain morbid mental condition, exhibiting itself exclusively in acts of cruelty and brutality. This form of unrecognised disorder may exist unassociated with delusion. There is much of this latent and undetected alienation of mind in existence, producing, within the sacred precincts of domestic life, great irregularities of conduct and a fearful amount of domestic misery. It often co-exists with great talents and high attainments, and is compatible with the exercise of active philanthropy and benevolence. The ordinary actions or conversation of those so affected, in many cases, would not convey to a stranger an idea of the existence of such a sad state of the intellect. Howard, the celebrated philanthropist, affords an unhappy illustration of this type of disorder. He is represented to have been a tyrant in his own house. His cruel treatment caused the death of his wife. He was in the habit, for many years after her death, of doing penance before her picture. He had an only son, whom, for the slightest offence, he

punished with terrible severity. He was in the habit of making this son stand for hours in a prescribed grotto in the garden. The son became a lunatic, as the result of this brutal treatment. Several similar cases have been brought under my observation. In one instance, temporary confinement was resorted to, but without positive advantage.

A lady, moving in good society, happily married, accomplished, well educated, of sweet temper, and with a mind under the benign influence of religious principles, manifested, at the age of forty-five, a sudden and an extraordinary change of character and habits. She became irritable from trifling causes; was continually quarrelling with her husband and servants; discharged her tradesmen, accusing them of acts of dishonesty; and offended many of her most intimate friends and relations by her cold, and often repulsive manner. This state of mind continued for two years, during which period she played the capricious tyrant within the sphere of the domestic circle. Her husband became nearly broken-hearted; his friends and relations could not enter his house without being insulted; he neglected his business, and his health became seriously impaired from constant anxiety. A new phase of the malady, however, exhibited itself. She one day accused her husband of gross infidelity. Proofs were demanded. She immediately produced several anonymous letters which she had received, containing a minute, circumstantial, and apparently truthful account of her husband's misconduct. These letters appeared to substantiate, as conclusively as such documentary evidence could do, her accusation. No person doubted the genuineness of these letters. Her friends, however, refused to recognise, even at this time, her actual morbid state of mind. She subsequently had an epileptic seizure, followed by partial paralysis. I then saw the case. Her cerebral condition being at this time apparent, she was

removed from home. It was now discovered, beyond a doubt, that this lady had written the anonymous letters to herself, accusing her husband of infidelity, had addressed and posted them, and had eventually become impressed with the conviction that the letters were actually written by a stranger, and contained a true statement of facts. They had, as it afterwards appeared, been concealed about her person for nearly six months!

I was requested to visit a lady, who, after a painful and dangerous accouchement, exhibited, without any adequate exciting cause, an inveterate feeling of hatred towards one of her children. She treated this child with great and systematic brutality. To such an extent did she carry this morbid and unnatural feeling, that her husband was obliged to remove the child from the house, and place it under the care of a relative in a distant part of the country. I had no doubt at the time that this person's mind was disordered. Such was my written opinion. The idea was, however, repudiated by nearly all the members of the family, who obstinately closed their eyes to her sad and melancholy condition. The only evidence that existed, at that period, of mental disorder, was her unnatural alienation of affection, and her brutal conduct towards one of her children. This state of mind appeared unassociated with any appreciable delusive ideas. Three weeks had scarcely elapsed since my first consultation in this case, when I was informed this lady had made an unsuccessful attempt at suicide. It was then obvious that she was not in a sane state of mind, and her family no longer hesitated in placing her privately under close restraint. We occasionally observe evidences of this morbid state at a very early period of life, and it is indicative of an original organic defect in the constitution of the intellect.

Thomas Pepper, fourteen years of age, a pot-boy, a

clever lad, but of sullen and morose disposition, committed suicide by hanging himself in an arbour in his master's bowling-green. It appeared from the evidence that the mind of the deceased was peculiarly formed, his conduct frequently evincing a predisposition to cruelty. He had been frequently known to hang up mice and other animals for the purpose of enjoying the pain which they appeared to suffer whilst in the agonies of death. He would often call boys to witness these sports, exclaiming "Here's a lark; he is just having his last kick." He had often been known to catch flies and throw them into the fire, that he might observe them whilst burning. He had also been observed, whilst passing along the street, to pull the ears of the childrenlifting them off the ground by their ears; and when they cried out with pain, he would burst out into a fiendish paroxysm of delight at their sufferings. Witnesses deposed that about four years previously, when only ten years of age, he attempted to strangle himself, in consequence of his mother having chastised him. He locked himself up in a room, and, when discovered, life was nearly extinct.* I refer to this as an illustration of a type of mental depravity, occurring in early life, arising from a congenital mal-organization of the brain and intellect. This morbid disposition may be either connate, hereditary, or be the sequelae of disease affecting the healthy condition of the brain. It occasionally supervenes upon injuries of the head.

I saw, some years ago, a youth whose whole moral character had become completely changed in consequence of a severe injury that he had sustained. This young gentleman, when of the age of eighteen or nineteen, was attacked by fever. In a paroxysm of delirium he sprung violently out of bed, and severely cut his ankle;

*From the Times.